How to make iron filings?

[George Glines]

Not kidding. My son's teacher asked me to make 1 cup of iron filings for
the 4th grade class magnetism experiments. Sounds like a real mess. I was
thinking of put some sheetmetal screens on the milling table to catch the
filings and using a roughing endmill on really fine feed to grind up a round
bar of cast iron I have.

Any better ideas on a cutter or method would be appreciated.

Thanks,

George

[Steve Smith]

Visit a saw sharpening shop. They have a lot of filings.

Steve Smith

[Robin S.]

In grade school, we used to run magnets through sand in the playground. They
pick up a fair amount of filings as I remember (probably about 112-14 years
ago).

Regards,

Robin

"George Glines" <gglines...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:NwOq8.322$Hc6....@news1.west.cox.net...

[Jim Harvey]

Go to any shop that cuts brake rotors, they will GLADLY give you all the
iron filings you could ever want.

Jim Harvey
"Steve Smith" <s...@alum.mit.edu> wrote in message
news:3CABC1C5...@alum.mit.edu...

[James P. Riser]

George;
Cut some steel with your bandsaw. You'll get plenty.
Jim

[mike wheeler]

The black sand at the beach tends to be magnetic. Just take a handful in an
ordinary gold pan and pan it out. you end up with black stuff.

?112? HuH? I bet high school was the best 8 years of your life. ;-)

In article <JqPq8.7587$3z6.2...@news20.bellglobal.com>,
lase...@hotmail.com says...

[Tim]

> (probably about 112-14 years ago).

Hm, I know everyone here is always really old, with the occasional
exception (i.e. me), but gosh, I thought you were a college student...

Tim
(Mmmm, nits)

--
"WOOHOO! Who would've guessed reading and writing would pay off!"
- Homer Simpson

[George Glines]

Robin,

Must have been 112 years ago. I think they banned sand years ago.

Thanks!

George

"Robin S." <lase...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:JqPq8.7587$3z6.2...@news20.bellglobal.com...

[George Glines]

"James P. Riser" <jri...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:a8gktu$afn$1...@slb4.atl.mindspring.net...

> George;
> Cut some steel with your bandsaw. You'll get plenty.
> Jim
>

James,

Doh! Staring me right in the face. I have to shovel the stuff out of my
7x12.

Thank you!

George

[BeeCrofter]

drag a magnet throug the roadside debris

[Ace]

I suspect the teacher would really like to have something a lot finer
than "chips" from milling operations. Surface grinding comes to mind.
Perhaps clean out the coolant resovoir of your grinder???? Or some shop
that does wet grinding. (most dry grinders exhaust to the atmosphere)

Ace

--
If congress purportedly has oversight authority, then
who watches the watchers?

[Victor Baca]

HI George
one would be to tie a bunch of very large nails together with wire connect the
other end to a plus battery terminal and put the nails into water. Now put a
another wire into the water from the minus bettery terminal. these will rust in
the water. if you have a 24 volt power supply its better but 12 will do....
vic

[S Austin]

I'd buy some magnaflux powder.

"George Glines" <gglines...@cox.net> wrote in message news:<NwOq8.322$Hc6....@news1.west.cox.net>...

[George Glines]

Magnaflux powder? Thought it was a fluorescent dye?

George

"S Austin" <sau...@northnet.org> wrote in message
news:43d26c21.02041...@posting.google.com...

[Gary Coffman]

On Fri, 12 Apr 2002 05:42:52 GMT, "George Glines" <gglines...@cox.net> wrote:
>Magnaflux powder? Thought it was a fluorescent dye?

Your thinking of dye penetrant testing. Magnaflux uses a magnetic field
and a *very* fine iron powder suspended in a volatile solvent to highlight
hidden cracks in the material being tested. Magnaflux can find subsurface
cracks. Dye penetrant testing requires the crack to extend to the surface
of the part in order to be found. Of course dye penetrant testing can be
used on non-ferrous materials, magnafluxing can't.

Gary

[S Austin]

There's a wet process and a dry process. I'm talking about the dry prosess powder.

"George Glines" <gglines...@cox.net> wrote in message news:<wtut8.27955$%A.21...@news1.west.cox.net>...

[Sherm Fry]

Go to the auto machine shop. and ask for some brake drum trunings.They
will give you all you want. I supplied all my kids with these for school.
Sherm Fry

[cael_r...@mstm.us]

how

[mike]

Sometimes the easiest way is the easiest way...
https://www.google.com/search?as_q=iron+filings&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=#q=iron+filings&tbm=shop

[Larry Jaques]

Isn't the easiest way simply taking a file to any scraps of ferrous
stock lying around your shop? It's good practice for your filing
skills, anyway. Teach the kid to file properly while making his
science class product out of the swarf. Win/Win/Win.

--
Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before
which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
-- John Quincy Adams

[Carl Ijames]

Go to any automotive brake repair shop with a brake lathe, and ask for a cup
or two of their turnings. They use carbide tooling and cut the cast iron
rotors and drums dry, so the turnings are a nice clean dry fine powder. May
be too fine and spherical, but I'd start there as the easiest source. To
visualize a magnetic field you want little elongated shavings that look like
tiny short pieces of string, so cuttings from a rough hobbing end mill would
be nice. Filing sounds nice, but I shudder at how many hours it would take
to make a full cup of filings :-).

-----
Regards,
Carl Ijames

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
news:p5lg6bdih4vkbm3h5...@4ax.com...

[BobH]

bandsaw "sawdust" from somebody cutting steel or iron

[gerald...@yahoo.ca]

On Wed, 09 Dec 2015 08:25:34 -0800, Larry Jaques
<lja...@invalid.diversifycomm.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 08 Dec 2015 14:57:39 -0800, mike <ham...@netzero.net> wrote:
>
>>On 12/8/2015 11:12 AM, cael_r...@mstm.us wrote:
>>> On Wednesday, April 3, 2002 at 8:04:29 PM UTC-6, George Glines wrote:
>>>> Not kidding. My son's teacher asked me to make 1 cup of iron filings for
>>>> the 4th grade class magnetism experiments. Sounds like a real mess. I was
>>>> thinking of put some sheetmetal screens on the milling table to catch the
>>>> filings and using a roughing endmill on really fine feed to grind up a round
>>>> bar of cast iron I have.
>>>>
>>>> Any better ideas on a cutter or method would be appreciated.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> George
>>>
>>> how
>>>
>>Sometimes the easiest way is the easiest way...
>>https://www.google.com/search?as_q=iron+filings&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=#q=iron+filings&tbm=shop
>
>Isn't the easiest way simply taking a file to any scraps of ferrous
>stock lying around your shop? It's good practice for your filing
>skills, anyway. Teach the kid to file properly while making his
>science class product out of the swarf. Win/Win/Win.

IIRC I have a Mayo jar full which I saved while turning a couple
pieces of CI; or go visit your local brake shop.
---

Gerry :-)}
London,Canada

[joell...@gmail.com]

[Gunner Asch]

http://www.teachersource.com/product/iron-filings-1-pound-package/electricity-magnetism

http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Filings-1-Pound-Package/dp/B008MB17GA

[bjmu...@gmail.com]

George Glines於 2002年4月4日星期四 UTC+8上午10時04分29秒寫道：

i think you can make it by scrubbing the magnet with sand paper

thanks,

Isaac

[13...@delia.edu.hk]

How old are you

[thomja...@gmail.com]

On Thursday, April 4, 2002 at 4:04:29 AM UTC+2, George Glines wrote:
> Not kidding. My son's teacher asked me to make 1 cup of iron filings for
> the 4th grade class magnetism experiments. Sounds like a real mess. I was
> thinking of put some sheetmetal screens on the milling table to catch the
> filings and using a roughing endmill on really fine feed to grind up a round
> bar of cast iron I have.
>
> Any better ideas on a cutter or method would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> George

Well, I hope u blokes had fun with this. Next time ask a granny. Although it is much too late may I say: In South Africa we buy 50g of iron filings for less than a dollar from a business called Experilab.

[amtes...@pccsk12.com]

Run magnets through sand, by your windowsill(or any place that collects a lot of dust, really)and try your best to remove the filings from the magnet. It ain't easy!

[Bob La Londe]

On 1/10/2020 11:18 AM, amtes...@pccsk12.com wrote:
> Run magnets through sand, by your windowsill(or any place that collects a lot of dust, really)and try your best to remove the filings from the magnet. It ain't easy!
>

Put the magnet inside a heavy plastic bag first. Turn the bag inside
out to remove iron filings.

[pyotr filipivich]

Bob La Londe <no...@none.com99> on Fri, 10 Jan 2020 13:50:45 -0700
typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Good idea, that way, your filings are all bagged.

I was thinking of the various sorts of "Magnetic picker uppers"
where the magnet is inside a not magnetic housing (usually plastic)
and having "swept up" the steel bits, you can then pull a handle, move
the magnet away from the bottom, and "clatter' they fall off into a
bucket.
--
pyotr filipivich
"With Age comes Wisdom. Although far too often, Age travels alone."

[pyotr filipivich]

amtes...@pccsk12.com on Fri, 10 Jan 2020 10:18:58 -0800 (PST) typed
in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

>Run magnets through sand, by your windowsill(or any place that collects a lot of dust, really)and try your best to remove the filings from the magnet. It ain't easy!

That's not how you make them

That is one way to collect iron filing.

To make them, take a block of cheap iron/steel, and a file. Or a
grinder. Or a sander. Or just rub the metal on the concrete.

[Jim Wilkins]

"pyotr filipivich" <ph...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:sv5i1fpbgao8v90h0...@4ax.com...

Or rub your magic credit card and make a wish to the Amazon genie.

[pyotr filipivich]

"Jim Wilkins" <murat...@gmail.com> on Fri, 10 Jan 2020 20:18:16
-0500 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

That works too. But where is the sense of craftsmanship, of
having accomplished something? Yeah, sure you have to wait two whole
days for it to arrive, but. Meh, kids these days ....

tschus
pyotr

[Jim Wilkins]

"pyotr filipivich" <ph...@mindspring.com> wrote in message

news:mj0k1fdpbssc1b683...@4ax.com...

I sincerely hope my efforts produce more than chips. You don't feed
animals just for the manure.

Besides, it does seem sorta magical that I can click on a picture and
the real thing appears at my door.

[pyotr filipivich]

"Jim Wilkins" <murat...@gmail.com> on Sun, 12 Jan 2020 07:17:49

True. Unless you're in the cow pie business. (I recall a short
story where alien tourists took a shine to cow pies, and they became
Big Business. Right up until the tourist fashions changed, and the
ones who bought cow pies, no longer came.)

>
>Besides, it does seem sorta magical that I can click on a picture and
>the real thing appears at my door.

Yep.

Once again, we're in the conflict between "I need one ASAP" and "I
want to make it myself." I can make a cabinet, or buy one at Amazon /
Walmart."

[Jim Wilkins]

"pyotr filipivich" <ph...@mindspring.com> wrote in message

news:2rnn1f1k82stduqfq...@4ax.com...

I had to make that choice quite often in my career of building
prototypes and custom equipment. Usually it hinged on deadline vs
budget rather than my abilities and wishes. Generally I made only what
I couldn't buy, because it wasn't yet available. I couldn't usually
compete cost-wise with better-equipped manufacturers.

My collection of vintage electronic lab equipment has needed parts I
had to machine fom scratch, a Variac carbon brush assembly and the
oddball coaxial connector on one end of an HP spectrum analyzer
interconnect cable.

[rangerssuck]

You can collect iron filings by swishing a (plastic bagged) magnet around in a bowl of Wheaties cereal. Not kidding.

[Jim Wilkins]

"rangerssuck" <range...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b40e4a7f-be77-4273...@googlegroups.com...

Do you suppose they are an added mineral supplement, or from wear in
the packaging machinery?
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/

[gray_wolf]

There are chemical techniques for producing finely divided metal particles. Ask
a chem prof.

[pyotr filipivich]

"Jim Wilkins" <murat...@gmail.com> on Mon, 13 Jan 2020 08:13:54

-0500 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

>> Once again, we're in the conflict between "I need one ASAP" and "I
>> want to make it myself." I can make a cabinet, or buy one at Amazon
>> / Walmart."
>

>I had to make that choice quite often in my career of building
>prototypes and custom equipment. Usually it hinged on deadline vs
>budget rather than my abilities and wishes. Generally I made only what
>I couldn't buy, because it wasn't yet available. I couldn't usually
>compete cost-wise with better-equipped manufacturers.
>
>My collection of vintage electronic lab equipment has needed parts I
>had to machine fom scratch, a Variac carbon brush assembly and the
>oddball coaxial connector on one end of an HP spectrum analyzer
>interconnect cable.

Exactly (as in I understand and agree). My house needs some
repairs. And while I'm at it, might as well do X, Y, Z, A, B, C
...X1, Y1, Z1 too. Many of which are way out of my ability. Add to
that, the only way I can afford to do all that, is to win the lottery,
at which point "it would be simpler to take the screen door off and
put it on a new house." Overhauling this place doesn't pencil out -
for me. If I was thirty years younger, it might. In the mean time
... lets do what we can with what we have.

tschus
pyotr

[Clare Snyder]

On Mon, 13 Jan 2020 11:10:48 -0600, gray_wolf <g_wolf@howling_mad.com>
wrote:

Why is everyone missing the obvious - USE A FILE!!!!! Rub it on mild
steel, or a casting, and make PURE iron filings, not mixed with
carborundum or other abrasives or other chemical compounds.

[rangerssuck]

On Monday, January 13, 2020 at 12:35:46 PM UTC-5, Clare wrote:

> Why is everyone missing the obvious - USE A FILE!!!!! Rub it on mild
> steel, or a casting, and make PURE iron filings, not mixed with
> carborundum or other abrasives or other chemical compounds.

pyotr had that three days ago, but it's just too obvious for rcm. First, you have to dig an iron mine. then you have to smelt. then you have to make steel for the file. then you have to make the file. then you have to harden it. THEN you can start filing the iron.

Far easier to just buy a box of Wheaties.

[Jim Wilkins]

"gray_wolf" <g_wolf@howling_mad.com> wrote in message
news:sw1TF.32892$tu4....@fx07.iad...

Ask me, I was a chemist before the Army taught me computer
electronics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonyl_iron

[Jim Wilkins]

"Jim Wilkins" <murat...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:qvirvo$qoh$1...@dont-email.me...

I needed while to remember "Raney".
This is the simple, low tech, non-toxic method we learned to prepare
finely divided nickel:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raney_nickel

[gray_wolf]

Check Adams catalyst. This technique can an used on Palladium and other
noble metals. Iron may need a different tack.

[Mike Spencer]

"Jim Wilkins" <murat...@gmail.com> writes:

> "rangerssuck" <range...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:b40e4a7f-be77-4273...@googlegroups.com...
>

>> You can collect iron filings by swishing a (plastic bagged) magnet
>> around in a bowl of Wheaties cereal. Not kidding.
>
> Do you suppose they are an added mineral supplement, or from wear in
> the packaging machinery?
>
> https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/

Here'a a doc at the American Chemical Society:

https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/outreach/iron-for-breakfast.pdf

I haven't bought any breakast cereal for 40 years but I suppose I'm
going to have to buy some Wheaties (my favorite, tied with Cheerios,
65 years ago) and try that.

There's a tradition dating back to colonial times that women could
maintain health by putting (what was then a wrought iron) nail in a
glass of water each night, drinking the water in the morning.

--
Mike Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada

[Jim Wilkins]

"Mike Spencer" <m...@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote in message
news:87eew1m...@bogus.nodomain.nowhere...

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-too-much-iron-is-harmful